After a month spent recovering from a vicious fight with a sorcerer, grave witch Alex Craft is ready to get back to solving murders by raising the dead. With her love life in turmoil, Alex is eager for the distractions of work. But her new case turns out to be a deadly challenge. The police hire Alex to consult on a particularly strange investigation in the nature preserve south of Nekros City. There are no corpses, only pieces....

Grave Memory: Alex Craft Series, Book 3

As a Grave Witch, Alex solves murders by raising the dead. While she's always been on friendly terms with Death himself, lately things have become a lot more personal. But the personal takes a backseat to the professional when a string of suicides occurs in Nekros City. The shades have no memory of the days leading up to their brutal endings, so despite the very apparent suicides, this is murder. And searching for the answers might mean Alex won't have a life to remember at all....

Grave Witch: Alex Craft Series, Book 1

Not even death can save her now. As a grave witch, Alex Craft can speak to the dead---she's even on good terms with Death himself. As a consultant for the police, she's seen a lot of dark magic, but nothing has prepared her for her latest case.

Once Bitten: A Novel of Haven

Kita Nekai, on the run and the smallest of her shifter clan-a calico cat among lions and tigers-is being hunted. She was expected to accept her role as her father's successor whether or not her cat was up to the task of leading the clan. She disagreed. Now she's less than a step ahead of the hunters, bone-tired, cold, and living hand-to-mouth in the city of Haven.

Twice Dead: A Novel of Haven

Newly undead shifter-turned-vampire Kita Nekai is coming to grips with the reality that her cat has not awakened since her change. What she needs is a little time to adjust to her new liquid diet and the increasingly complex attraction to her sire, Nathanial. What she gets is a headless harlequin.

Eighth Grave After Dark

With 12 hellhounds after her, pregnant Charley Davidson takes refuge at the only place she thinks they can't get to her: the grounds of an abandoned convent. But after months of being cooped up there, Charley is ready to pop. Both metaphorically and literally, since she is now roughly the size of a beached whale. Fortunately a new case has captured her attention, one that involves a murder on the very grounds the team has taken shelter upon.

Dark Heir: Jane Yellowrock, Book 9

For centuries, the extremely powerful and ruthless vampire witches of the European Council have wandered the Earth, controlling governments, fostering war, creating political conflict, and often leaving absolute destruction in their wake. One of the strongest of them is set to create some havoc in the city of New Orleans, and it's definitely personal.

Dark Debt: Chicagoland Vampires, Book 11

When a figure from Ethan's dark past makes a splashy debut in Chicago, Merit and her master don't know whether he's friend or foe. But they'll have to figure it out soon because trouble is brewing in the Windy City. At an exclusive society soirée attended by the upper echelons of the human and supernatural worlds, Merit and Ethan barely stop the assassination of a guest. When the target turns out to be a shady businessman with a criminal edge, Merit suspects a human vendetta. But the assassins have fangs.

Vengeance of the Demon: Kara Gillian, Book 7

Louisiana homicide detective and demon summoner Kara Gillian is about to learn that vengeance is a dish best served cold - especially when dealing with supernatural crime. But with her closest friends now in harm's way, the demons just made this one personal.

Broken Soul: Jane Yellowrock, Book 8

Jane Yellowrock is a vampire killer for hire - but other creatures of the night still need to watch their backs....When the Master of the city of New Orleans asks Jane to improve security for a future visit from a delegation of European vampires, she names an exorbitant price - and Leo is willing to pay. That’s because the European vamps want Leo’s territory, and he knows that he needs Jane to prevent a total bloodbath.

Spider's Trap

One important lesson I've learned in the assassination business is that to be the best, you have to roll with the punches. Now that I'm queen of Ashland's underworld - by default, not by choice - a lot more punches are being thrown my way. But I suppose that's the price of victory for taking down some of the underworld's top dogs. Good thing I have my Ice and Stone magic to help me survive my volatile new position.

Dead Heat: Alpha and Omega, Book 4

For once, mated werewolves Charles and Anna are not traveling because of Charles' role as his father's enforcer. This time their trip to Arizona is purely personal, as Charles plans to buy Anna a horse for her birthday. Or at least it starts out that way....

Spellcasting in Silk: Witchcraft Mysteries, Book 7

Lily would like nothing better than to relax, enjoy her friends, and take care of business at her store, which is booming thanks to San Francisco's upcoming Summer of Love Festival. But as the unofficial witchy consultant to the SFPD, she is pulled into yet another case.

LeslieAnn says:"Another great installment in the Witchcraft Mysteries series"

Magic Breaks: Kate Daniels, Book 7

No matter how much the paranormal politics of Atlanta change, one thing always remains the same: If there' s trouble, Kate Daniels will be in the middle of it. As the mate of the Beast Lord, Curran, former mercenary Kate Daniels has more responsibilities than it seems possible to juggle. Not only is she still struggling to keep her investigative business afloat, she must now deal with the affairs of the pack, including preparing her people for attack from Roland, a cruel ancient being with god-like powers.

Claimed by Shadow: Cassandra Palmer, Book 2

A recent legacy made Cassandra Palmer heir to the title of Pythia, the world's chief clairvoyant. It's a position that usually comes with years of training, but Cassie's circumstances are a little...unusual. Now she's stuck with a whopping amount of power that every vamp, fey, and mage in town wants to either monopolize or eradicate - and that she herself doesn't dare use.

Off the Grid: A Jane Yellowrock Story

In Off the Grid, Jane goes on what looks like a simple mission for the Knoxville blood-master - finding a missing Mithran. Her search leads Jane to a young woman named Nell, a woman with a scarred past and a strange power, a woman who may hold the key to saving the missing vampire, if Jane can convince her to assist.

Blood Drive: Anna Strong, Vampire, Book 2

Anna Strong was a tough-as-nails bounty hunter, until the night she was attacked-and changed forever. Now a vampire, Anna discovers that her long-dead brother may have had a daughter-and the girl's in serious trouble. There are some very dangerous people after her, but they're about to learn that to a bounty hunter with an unnatural thirst for blood, even the deadliest human predators are easy prey.

Blood Royal: Blood Destiny, Book 5

Xenides is searching for Lissa and out for blood. Nothng less than total destruction is his ultimate objective, beginning with the Vampire Council. After all, much of his elite fighting force was destroyed by Wlodek and his allies on a single night. Now, Xenides must regroup and looks to command the dregs of vampire rogues and human criminals to accomplish his goals.

Blood Games: Chicagoland Vampires, Book10

While Merit didn't choose to become a vampire or Sentinel of Cadogan House, she vowed to fight for her House and its Master, and she's managed to forge strong alliances with powerful supernaturals across Chicago. But even though Merit has had wild adventures, this may be her deadliest yet. A killer is stalking Chicago, preying on humans and leaving his victims with magical souvenirs. The CPD hasn't been able to track the assailant, and as the body count rises, the city is running out of options.

The Witch with No Name: The Hollows, Book 13

In The Witch with No Name, Kim Harrison brings back her wildly popular heroine for one final, epic battle. Rachel Morgan's come a long way from the klutzy runner fleeing a bad job. She's faced vampires and werewolves, banshees, witches, and soul-eating demons. She's crossed worlds, channeled gods, and accepted her place as a day-walking demon. She's lost friends and lovers and family, and an old enemy has become something much more.

An Artificial Night: An October Daye Novel, Book 3

Changeling knight in the court of the Duke of Shadowed Hills, October “Toby” Daye has survived numerous challenges that would destroy fae and mortal alike. Now Toby must take on a nightmarish new assignment. Someone is stealing both fae and mortal children — and all signs point to Blind Michael. When the young son of Toby’s closest friends is snatched from their Northern California home and his sister falls into a coma-like state, the situation becomes way too personal.

Bloodfire: Blood Destiny, Book 1

Mack might be, to all intents and purposes, a normal looking human, but she lives with a pack of shapeshifters in Cornwall in rural England after being dumped there by her mother when she was just a young child. She desperately wants to be accepted by her surrogate family, not least because a lot of them hate her for merely being human, but for some reason her blood just won't allow the transformation to occur.

Night Broken: Mercy Thompson, Book 8

An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from a stalker. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right. Soon her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the furthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get him, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy.

Kicking It

New York Times best-selling author Rachel Caine has modern-day potions witches Holly and Andrew facing off against a firebrand politician who wears literally killer boots in a Texas-sized rodeo of trouble. Boot-loving Cadogan vampire Lindsey must team up with off-again, on-again vampire partner Luc when a woman from her past is targeted by supernaturals in New York Times best-selling author Chloe Neill's all-new adventure.

Jinxed: Karma Series, Book 2

Karma. It's what they call me and the very essence of who I am. When I died young, I was recruited by the agency that keeps the universe running smoothly. As someone with a human past, most of my coworkers consider me inferior. But not everyone. Something evil has been stalking me for centuries. It's been biding its time, waiting for the moment when it will strike, and it needs me to do it. Its methods of recruitment are tearing apart every aspect of my life.

Publisher's Summary

After a month spent recovering from a vicious fight with a sorcerer, grave witch Alex Craft is ready to get back to solving murders by raising the dead. With her love life in turmoil, thanks to the disappearance of Fae Investigation Bureau agent Falin Andrews and a shocking "L" word confession from Death himself, Alex is eager for the distractions of work. But her new case turns out to be a deadly challenge.

The police hire Alex to consult on a particularly strange investigation in the nature preserve south of Nekros City. The strange part: There are no corpses, only fragments of them. A serial killer is potentially on the loose, and Alex has no way to raise a shade without a body, so she’ll have to rely on the magic of others to find leads. But as she begins investigating, a creature born of the darkest magic comes after her. Someone very powerful wants to make sure the only thing she finds is a dead end - her own.

This is the second book in the Alex Craft series and it was even better than the first book. The third book, Grave Memory, is already out. The fourth book, Grave Visions, is expected to release in August 2013.

I listened to this on audiobook again and it was a very well done audiobook. The narrator does an excellent job narrating the different character voices and portrays character emotion well. Definitely a series I will keep listening to.

Alex is called to a scene by the police to investigate a case of left feet. Yep, someone is finding a whole bunch of left feet and Alex senses dark magic attached to them. As Alex starts to investigate this dark magic someone starts to come after her. They are sending evil constructs to attack her and those she cares about. She must figure out this dark magic before it’s too late.

This was an excellent continuation of this series. This book shifts from just dealing with Alex's grave magic to exploring Alex's connection with Fey. As with the last book there is a contained investigation that solved in this book and also a larger story that continues developing from the first book.

I really am enjoying how complex, creative, and interesting this world is. A lot of new excellent characters are added to the story. Additionally both Falin and Death get a lot of page space and we learn more background on both of them. Alex also learns more about her past.

Alex is a fun and complex character to read about. She keeps learning new and interesting things about both her fey and grave powers; yet she is human too. She still needs to eat and sleep to keep functioning. She has a dark sense of humor, which I enjoy.

I am not a huge fan of love triangles, but I can make an exception for Death and Falin. Both of these male leads are just so darn interesting. We learn a lot more about Falin in this book and he is a complex character indeed. Death is still mostly a mystery though, while we learn a bit more about him, most of Death’s character is still shrouded in shadow.

I also enjoy that Alex has a price to pay for using her magic. This reminds me a bit of Devon Monk’s Allie Beckstrom series and I love how having to pay a cost for magic balances out a character’s power.

The main investigation tied up nicely. The book is well written and easy to read. The whole story is very engaging and well-paced; never boring but never frantic either.

Overall I enjoyed this second book even more than Grave Witch. The world is complex and interesting, as are the characters. There are so many things to learn about and read about in this world, I was just absolutely sucked into the story. Highly recommended to fans of urban fantasy; especially to those who enjoy reading about the Fey.

You know you have issues when your back up is a six pound dog and Death's minions.

High off her 15 minutes of fame after raising a shade on tv, business is booming at Tongues for the Dead. Unfortunately for Alexis Craft it seems like everyone wants a piece of her. The Nekros PD and independent fey want Alex to find a killer, the Winter Queen and Shadow King are trying to recruit her, mortal magical skimmers want to use her, while Death and Falin are trying to woo her.

Alexis Craft is up to her neck in.... Feet? Well, no one said her job was uninteresting. Alex is on the case of a serial murderer with a serious right foot fetish. Because only finding feet wasn't weird enough, they all had to be left feet. Unfortunately Craft can't raise a shade from foot alone, and any attempt Alex and her buddies at the NPD have made to find the bodies has yielded nothing. Literally. Like the feet only ever existed without an entire body. Of course this is only one of Alex's on going problems. It seems the Blood Moon ritual has awoken her Fey Soul. Craft is now finding it increasingly more difficult to lie, she is also developing a very annoying intolerance to iron, and her powers as well seem to be growing. Alex can now see across multiple plans of reality at once. This new ability not only makes her a hot commodity, it also puts her life in danger. But it's not like homicidal attempts are anything new for Alex. Especially when an abnormally high number of imaginary magical creatures keep trying to kill her. If the bad guys don't succeed her would be lovers might. Falin Andrews reappears after being MIA for a month, and the love triangle heats up with a little deathly drama as Mr. Muerte shows his interest and tries to keep the Queen's Bloodied Hands off Alexis.

Alex is going to have put her dancing shoes on to tango with the fey as she journeys into Fairy. To save her friends and herself she'll have to be quick witted and clever, while solving a few murder mysteries in the process, and finding the killers along the way.

Wow. Kalayna Price has really raised the bar in Grave Dance. The second installment of the gritty urban fantasy was packed with intricate storylines that keep you guessing until the end. Just when I thought Price had established her heroine she added layers to Alex's abilities and identity to create an even richer character. I really like how everything came together, as well as hints to future complications. Price planted a few plot points involving family, and lovers that I am looking forward to reading about. Grave Dance wasn't as fast paced as Grave Witch but there were a lot of action scenes. Alex's love life is still slow building and light compared to everything else, but what little of it there was, definitely leaves you wanting more.

Fans of the Fey genre will love this installment, since Grave Dance shifts the witchcraft focus to a predominantly more fairy one. But don't despair if your like me and like the witchy aspect, there's still plenty witch in Alex Craft. Overall this is a great sequel, another page turning edition that will leave you pining for the next edition.

After a very good start in the first book Grave Witch I was expecting a lot. I have to say it did not quite measure up do that. That is not to say this is a boring book. It's not.
It was just not as fun as the first book.

Feet with missing bodies as well as ghosts, the plethora of interesting fay characters and politics should make this book more exciting and fun, however I found they muddy the story progress and made me loose focus. I also don't like the heroes(men in Alex's life) and that also distracts me. Haven't we have too much of "I am a special woman with mysterious/unique/strong powers and all the gorgeous men/fay/vampire/were love me" At least we have death as in grim leaper in the mix, which I haven't read in a while since Wizard in the Grove series

Continued focus around Alex Craft, her strange form of magic, grave magic. a strange love triangle between 3 unique humans (ish). Alex has a habit of getting herself into trouble, or trouble finding her, be it in work, love, general life, and it takes all of her and usually her friends skill and courage to get her out of it, and usually just by the skin of her teeth. Book two reveals more about Alex, the extra characters that surround her, introducing the reader / listener to more of the world the story is set in.

The only negative thing I can say about this and its something I run into with a lot of sequels, its the constant repeat of basic information from the previous book. its basically there as a refresher or to give a reader who didn't read the first one background. Since I tend to read series back to back it annoys me, but over all does not affect the book.

The Narrator is excellent voice for Alex Craft and defines the other characters and their emotions well.

I read the first of this series, and listened to this one. Have to say, I like this series either way. Although, with listening to it, I found my ears hurting, as I didn't want to give up til the book was done.I like Alex, she's not a perfect heroine with all the answers, but seems to be making the right moves, until the book unfolds and you see where one good deed causes a whole lot of trouble in this world and faerie. I like the men in her life too, but where it will go with either of them, is a mystery, but you can see a door slightly ajar, that can swing either way, or remain as is, which is the best for now. At any rate, the stories are interesting, with the right amount of mystery, action, romance, and supernatural happenings.

Respectable 2nd book for this series. I like lots of action & on a scale of 1 to 10 this rated a 4 on the action scale. That said it has an okay storyline. The main character has grave magic which allows her to raise shades & to see death. The plot drags a little in a few scenes but overall it was worth a credit. I'll listen to the next book in the series at some point after I get through several others on my list. The narrator is okay. Not distracting but doesn't really add anything to the listen. Others have rated this series as 4/5 but I just don't get that.

I love Faylin and Alex together! This book was a cliff hanger but it had a great ending. I do hope the fourth book comes out soon and we get more Faylin and Alex! This is my second time listening to this series because apparently I like to tease myself with a series that may never continue. The last book came out in 2012 and the author is still keeping quiet.

Before I finished Grave Witch I started downloading Grave Dance from my Audible library onto my phone. Because I knew I wouldn't want to waste even one minute after finishing Grave Witch before starting Grave Dance. Yes, I'm that hooked. Alex Craft is a drug and I really don't know what I'm going to do when I have to start quitting her. But let's not think about that for now 'kay?

As an aside I just have to say that I love title of this book because it's kinda brilliant in a sick way. I love titles that tell you a lot about a book but you have to read it to get it. That it chooses a fairly disturbing part of the book just makes it that much better. But you're going to have to read it to get it. *snickers*

I was giddy about the role of the fae in Grave Witch, but if I were to tell you what that book was about, the fae would be more of a side note for me - perhaps just because so much else was going on. But that's not the case with Grave Dance - this book has shifted the fae to a front and center position. Yay!! For one, Alex killed a fae at the end of Grave Witch. Turns out that has all sort of repercussions. Fun ones and terrifying ones. Particularly terrifying for a girl who lost a few days in faery not too long ago, when a fae tried to make her a slave and trapped Falin in the Never Ending Dance. The fae are tricky to deal with, so I don't blame Alex one bit for wanting to avoid them. Too bad that's not in the cards for her.

Not to mention, the case she's helping the police with as Grave Dance opens immediately involves the Fae, since she discovers a bunch of severed left feet (yes, no bodies, just feet), hidden by glamour. Glamour = Fae, which means in comes the FIB. Their involvement makes things super complicated, especially since they seem to be using the investigation as a license to mess with the independent fae in Necros, which includes Alex's friend and landlord - Caleb. So that puts things on a very personal level for Alex.

Oh and then remember that patch of pure etheric energy that Alex created in her father's house at the end of Grave Witch? Well let's just say it's a BIG DEAL, way bigger than Alex knew and when another one of the patches show up, things start to get a bit MORE complicated for Alex with the FIB (who are controlled by the Queen of the Winter Court, BTW).

So much happened in Grave Dance and so much of it I feel like I can only dance around (hehehe I crack myself up! Such a dork :p). There's lots of mystery, lots of action, and lots of magic. The fae are front and center. And the main plot line ends of taking us a bit further into the world of Death and the soul collectors. We get plenty of Falin and Death - keeping me equally happy and frustrated. Those men are so sexy and so secretive and so damn infuriating at times! I know who I like best, but I'm happy to enjoy the ride and see what happens (yeah, it's a love triangle and somehow I don't even care).

Seriously folks, if you like Urban Fantasy at all, read this series. Better yet, listen to it. Emily Durante is a fantastic narrator and only adds to my enjoyment of the series. She nails the voices, the pacing and the emotions. Obviously I'm so reading the next book ASAP.

Would you consider the audio edition of Grave Dance to be better than the print version?

I like to read books but I enjoy the audio books so much more. I can work on the computer, drive, and work around the house while still enjoying a book. The biggest plus is having different characters come alive for you.

What did you like best about this story?

All of it

Have you listened to any of Emily Durante’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

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